BOOK XXV. Lxx. 117-LXX111. 120 



fingers long and pour out their juice in the shade, the 

 cutters first rubbing their head and nostrils with rose 

 oil lest they should feel vertigo. Another juice also 

 is found sticking to the stems and dripping from in- 

 cisions in it. It is considered good when it is of the 

 consistency of honey, of a red colour, with a strong 

 but pleasant smell, and hot to the taste. This is used 

 for snake bite, as well as the root and a decoction 

 of it, to make many remedies," the juice however 

 being the most efficacious ; it is made thinner ^' by 

 bitter almonds or rue and is taken in drink, while 

 rubbing over the body with it and oil protects 

 people from snakes. 



LXXI. The smoke of ebulum also,<^ a plant known Ebuium. 

 to everybody, drives snakes away. 



LXXII. The root of polemonia, even when merely Poiemonia. 

 attached as an amulet, is specific against scorpions, 

 and also against poisonous spiders and the other 

 smaller venomous creatures ; aristolochia against 

 scorpions, or four-oboH doses of agaric in four 

 cyathi of wine stirred up with it,** vervain too with 

 wine, or vinegar and water, against poisonous spiders, 

 so also cinquefoil or daucum. 



LXXIII. Verbascum is called phlomos by the verbascum 

 Greeks. There are two primary kinds of it : the 

 pale, which is thought to be male ; the other is dark 

 and is regarded as female. There is a third kind, 

 that is found only in woods. The leaves of verbascum 



" See note (e) on XXIV. § 34. 



' The quoque suggests that the uritur of a in § 118 may be 

 right. But it is perhaps as likely that a scribe was induced to 

 write uritur because his eye had gone on to quoque. 



"* This apparently is the meaning of mixti vini, not " mixed 

 wine." The dosage perhaps applies also to aristolochia. 



223 



(phlomos). 



